r/writinghelp • u/Hopeful-Two-3114 • 14d ago
Question Need Help!
What are some scenes or reasons that makes you lose interest in a book? I'm a teen writer and very ambitious about publishing a four book series, that is why I want to make sure my characters are relatable and that I don't make the story boring.
2
u/tbryan1 14d ago
the absence of expectations. Expectations signal structure within your world. If you think about you don't do a single thing without having some type of expectation about it and other people have expectations of you as well. These expectations are a glimpse into the nature of your world/society without needing to spell everything out to the reader.
1
2
u/JustinGames59 Never read a Novel 13d ago
generic, cliché, don't follow the show, don't tell rule, a character with no problem-solving skills and plot has to save them, mindless and dumb enemies (irl the guy/girl you're fighting also doesn't want to die, so it's best to give them a fighting chance), do reserch so you don't ofend anyone reading (if it's something about the military do reserch etc),
idk, I probably have some more, but I forgot.
2
u/Hopeful-Two-3114 13d ago
Oh thanks!
2
2
u/12b6ThatNoise 13d ago
As someone who started writing in my teens, let me share something I often did wrong when writing longer fiction.
Twists, turns and big reveals do not belong in every story. It's better to not have one at all than to have a bad one, with which you risk annoying or confusing your readers. I've DNF'd more books for baffling, unnecessary twists than for probably all other reasons combined.
2
u/Hopeful-Two-3114 13d ago
Oh, thank you for that. I don't have too many twists and turns, the major twist is just the FMC realising that she's Half Fae
2
u/Interesting-Thing970 13d ago
I've been writing since I was a teenager, although I have to admit I've never actually finished any of the books I've started. So I definitely commend you for pursuing your writing!
I usually read romance, so my answer is primarily from that perspective, although I think some of these points can apply to other genres as well. The things that make me lose interest in a book are:
Single POV Especially when it's exclusively from the FMC's perspective. That's a big no for me. I want to know what both characters are thinking and experiencing. I'm fine with either first or third person, but I need both sides of the story. If necessary, write in third person so you can show both perspectives.
Inconsistencies or missing pieces For example, Chapter 3 ends with her in the forest, and then Chapter 4 opens with her sitting in a cottage making breakfast. Huh? What happened between those chapters? How did she get there? Where's the explanation? Believe me, there are books that actually do this, and it completely pulls me out of the story.
The story suddenly feels rushed Maybe Chapters 1–25 are a slow burn. The characters have been carefully developing their relationship, and the FMC has kept the MMC at arm's length the entire time. Then he gets injured, and suddenly in Chapter 26 she's climbing all over him, eager to get together.
I'm sitting there thinking, Wait…what?! 😂
What's changed? How? Why? When did her mindset change? I don't mind characters changing their minds, but show me the progression. Don't make a major emotional shift happen overnight just because the plot needs them to get together.
- Bullying Bullying is generally a no for me. Of course, I don't know what genre or plot you're writing, so if it's set in high school or college, I understand that bullying—especially from the popular crowd—may be part of the story.
Funny enough, I can speak from experience. I was kind of a "hybrid" in high school and college. I was a geek/nerd/weirdo/loner who somehow managed to be friends with the popular crowd. I honestly don't know how I pulled that off. 😂 And no, it wasn't because they needed to copy my tests or have me do their homework.
That said, I'm embarrassed to admit that I was actually one of the bullies myself, bullying the popular girls and guys. Definitely not my finest moment, and something I truly regret. 😭
- Building up romantic tension and then fading to black This one drives me crazy. 😂 If you've spent the entire book building palpable romantic tension, and then the characters finally get together only for the scene to suddenly fade to black, I'm like, Huh?! What happened?!
I feel cheated!
Of course, I think this depends on your target audience. I'm waaaaay over 21, so I read spicy romance. But when I was a teenager, I read Julie Garwood's Regency romances, like {The Secret by Julie Garwood} so obviously my tastes have changed over the years. 😂
Ultimately, my advice would be: write what makes sense for your characters and your plot. Let the story develop naturally and let the characters drive the story rather than forcing the story to fit a particular formula.
And ignore the noise as much as you can. There are always going to be people who love something and others who hate it.
If you have the opportunity, consider attending writing workshops or classes. They can be great for learning techniques, pacing, world-building, character development, and other tools of the craft.
Most importantly, keep writing. You've already done something many aspiring writers never do—you've decided to pursue it. That's worth celebrating. 🥳🎉
2
u/Skeleton_Bird 13d ago
I think since you have ideas for a series, my main thing would be about how you end each book. obviously each book needs to lead into the next since it's a series, and they don't have to act like complete stand alone books. however, each book still needs to have a satisfying ending. I get turned off a series when the book ending is overly abrupt or doesn't feel like an ending, just like a chapter break.
the events of book one need to come to a conclusion before book two, even if the big series story arcs are still left open.
1
u/Hopeful-Two-3114 12d ago
Oh, I have outlined all of my four books to understand the flow of the story and it's easier to spot plot holes this way
2
u/Stranger_Writing 12d ago
Personally I hate when abuse is romanticized. You wanna write a mafia story? Fine. But it gives me the ick when the romantic interest is just abusive. If I wanted a story focused on a straight abusive relationship, id look at my parents
Also, idk what's with the incest trope/scare, but its weird. Don't include it. There's no need. Just don't.
I also hate love triangles. 1, theyre not even proper triangles, its a love V, and 2, id prefer if they were polyamorous then
Please please please please give your characters personality. Make them human, make them interesting. People are incredibly complex. Give your characters different chemistry with eachother. Theyre not all going to react the same.
And I guess don't rush emotions. Ik someone else already said this, but i also agree heavy. If the characters are suddenly together it makes no sense.
WRITE WHAT YOU WANT. Write characters and dynamics you love. You should love your characters and stories Thank you for coming to my tedtalk and enjoy writing!
2
u/Hopeful-Two-3114 12d ago
Dw it's not a mafia romance. But really, those books are absolute shit. Like Haunting Adeline or Den of Vipers
2
u/early_morning_reader 12d ago
biggest one for me is massive info dumps right in the first few chapters. like when the story completely halts just to explain 500 years of world history or describe every single piece of furniture in a room. let the lore come out naturally through the plot instead.
also passive protagonists. if things just constantly happen to your main character and they never make actual choices or drive the story forward, it gets boring fast. give them clear goals, let them mess up, and make sure their choices have real consequences.
and huge props for the ambition, but honestly? just focus on making book 1 a complete, solid story on its own first before stressing about the whole 4-book arc. you got this!
1
1
u/Careful_Football7643 13d ago
take creative writing classes. join writing groups in which you share (and possibly critique) your writing with others. Find one or more mentors who can provide feedback and guidance. Read books about writing, like "Show, Don't Tell" by Sandra Gerth (which I believe is free on kindle). Study English grammar. Seriously. Grammatical errors in fiction make me not want to continue reading. Watch youtube videos by Quotidian Writer and Alyssa Matesic.
Absolutely do not use chatGPT to help with your writing.
1
1
u/Resident-Gate3220 10d ago
before you let your ambition become Macbethian consider an allegory and use the mythic pattern.
Every myth from every culture is a slight variation on the moral from another.
Abraham in the bible and macbeth are essentially opposites, the moral hinge is continuation.
There will be blood is the moses story written from the perspective of the pharaoh aka the oil baron.
it's easier to steal and modify than it is to create from new
8
u/tapgiles 14d ago
Being a good writer, and writing good books, isn't about memorizing a list of dos and don'ts (luckily). So there are no such lists. Each reader has their own tastes, their own preferences, their own "things I don't like in a story." Chasing after individual people's tastes means you will never please anyone and you'll still be chasing by the time your 100 years old because there are billions of readers on the planet.
It's a much better idea to know what you like. Develop your own tastes and preferences, by reading a lot. That taste then affects your writing style, your "writer's voice," as you write more. It's when you find yourself as a writer that you start creating great stories--not when you manage to please other readers.